The Original Community

November 7, 2011

For those amongst us who aren’t immersed in the world of GAA, St. Brigid’s are Dublin senior county football champions after an 8 year wait. The past two years have seen me develop something of a soft spot for St. Brigid’s, my adopted Dublin GAA club. We talk a lot these days in the marketing world about online and offline communities. For me, the GAA is the original community and continues to be.

I only know one of the St. Brigid’s players, yet I shouted (encouragement) at them yesterday like I’ve known all of them since a pair of Wrangler jeans were a must- have. Reason being, I get it. I get how important to them it is to be in a county final playing with brothers, lads they went to primary school with, neighbours. I understand the buzz that it creates in the locality in the build up to the game and the euphoria of bringing the cup home, doing a tour of the parish, visiting local schools and generally being a hero, for a few weeks anyway. For me, it’s the ultimate sense of community and I guess I sought that out, even here, in Dublin.

It’ll never replace my own club in my affections, but yesterday, I was pleased as punch for a group of players that I don’t even know, to see them lift that cup and head off into the night for much deserved celebrations. The GAA has an uncanny ability to create that sense of community wherever it goes. In my opinion, it does it better than any other sport or organisation in the world. Tall praise, but I’ll back it till the cows come home.